Trailer structure



July 12, i949. H. J. LWERNQIS TRAILER STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Oct. 2l, 1946 INI/FENTOR. Y2/@ff J Z/ 45E/V045 BY 7 JuRy my @4% H. J. Llvl-:RNOIS TRAILER STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Ooi.. 2l, 1946 IN1/EN TOR. M92 V5 Y JZ? VfR/VOLS @f5/MM@ HTTOQ/VEXS.

Patented .uly 12,l 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to trailers and particularly to improvements in two-Wheeled trailers attachable to motor vehicles and the like for hauling various types of loads.

An important object of this invention is to provide an improved two-wheeled trailer having novel means for adjusting the inclination of the load-carrying body relative to the towing connection and the ground. Another object of this invention is to provide an improved lightweight trailer capable of hauling heavy loads at high speeds in a safe and eflicient manner. A further object of this invention is to provide an improved trailer structure which can be manufactured and assembled at low cost and which is easily and quickly adjustable to accommodate various types of loads and to level the load-carrying body regardless of the angle of inclination of the towing connection.

In carrying out the invention, the towing frame, which is in the form of an elongated reach or draw bar, is directly attached by a novel pivotal connection to the single loadcarrying axle and is swingable relative thereto. Associated with the reach or draw bar are radius rods which are likewise directly pivotally connected to the axle and are swingable with the draw bar as the latter is adjusted to various inclined positions. The forward end of the reach or draw bar is shaped for coupling to the rear end of a motor vehicle. Intermediate the length of the draw bar, a bend is provided which predisposes the forward section of the draw bar below the level of the rear section thereof and by so increasing the clearance between the forward end of the loadcarrying body and the draw bar these two structural elements of the trailer are capable of being adjusted to considerable greater degrees of angularity than heretofore. Moreover the loadcarrying body is capable of being tilted forwardly as well as rearwardly. The pivotal connection of the draw bar and its associated radius rods to the axle and the depressed character of the forward section of the draw bar enables the draw bar to be connected to towing Vehicles at considerable heights above the ground while maintaining the load-carrying body on the level and without distorting or compressing the spring mounting between the body and the axle.

Other features of the invention relate to the novel manner of adjustably supporting the front end of the load-carrying body upon the draw bar including the provision of a pivoted bar or link which by virtue of its pivotal connection economizes in the cost of manufacture and eXpedites the leveling adjustments.

Various other objects, advantages and meritorious features will become more fully apparent from the following specification, appended claims and accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a trailer structure embodying this invention illustrating in full and dotted lines two positions of the load-carrying body,

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view taken along line 2-2 of Fig. l illustrating one form of adjustable connection between the load-carrying body and the draw bar,

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional View taken along line 3 3 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken along line 4--4 of Fig. 1 illustrating the under-carriage assembly,

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional View along line 5-5 of Fig. 4,

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view illustrating a modied form of adjustable connection between the load-carrying body and the draw bar, and

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 1-1 of Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawings, the embodiment of the invention illustrated therein comprises a body I0, which may be of the open box type as shown, for carrying loads. The body Ill is preferably mounted upon a rectangular frame consisting of parallel side members l2, one of which is shown in Fig. l, and parallelforward and rear cross members I4 and I6 respectively. The members may be channel-shaped metal bars as shown welded or otherwise securely joined together at their ends and of such lengths as to enclose an area substantially equal to the body Ill. The frame is preferably resiliently supported upon an axle shaft I8 by spring means 20 of any desirable form which are herein shown as of the halfelliptic type. Two such springs are utilized, one

between side members I2 of the frame and theaxle. As shown, the body I0 is preferably mounted in balanced relation on the axle with fore and aft portions of the body extending equal distances on either side of the axle.

The axle I8 is preferably square in formation and carries a wheel 22 journaled on each end thereof. Two wheels are employed on the trailer, one of which is shown in Fig. l. The axle may be strengthened by a tie rod 24 as shown in Fig. 4 having brackets 26-25 at each end thereof secured by U-shaped clamps or bolt members 28-28 to the axle. The U-shaped clamps encircle the axle and cooperate in the securement of radius rods to the axle as described hereinafter.

The towing means which is attached to the rear end of a motor vehicle comprises a, single elongated tongue or draw bar 30 attached at its forward end by any suitable coupling member 32 to the vehicle and at its rear end directly to the axle I8. A novel form of attachment is utilized for securing thedraw bar to the axle. Insteadiof a xed connection a pivotal connection is used which allows the draw bar to swing in a vertical path relative to the axle. The draw bar is preferably of channel shaped formation throughout its extent as shown in Fig. 2. Correspondingly Usually it is desirable to tow the trailer with the body l0 on the level but the latter may if desired be inclined backwardly or forwardly while being towed or during the loading or unloading operations. The pivotal connection of the draw bar to the axle permits the forward end of the draw bar to be raised or lowered without turning the axle. The'draft xtures on motor vehicles to which the coupling member. 321s attached are at various `:heights from the ground. Asa,result of a novel adjusting means between the body lll and Y, the draw bar it is possible to set the body at a "horizontal position and maintain it in this level conditionregardless of the height of the point of shaped end plates 313-34 are Welded or otherwise I secured to the sides of the drawfbar atitsrear end and as shown in Fig. 4, these plates extend rearwardly beyond the extremity of the draw bar in spaced parallel relation to one another. i

Brackets 3 6.-;-3 6 of. L-shape formation =are.secured to the axle by any suitablemneans such .asthe ui-shaped clamps 38.-1-38fsimilar :to` the clamps 28--28. These brackets are mounted .on the forward, side off the-.axle.and;;arranged:.to overlap the end platesl34e34 eitl'iernonv the insideasshown or onthe outside. Bothithefplatesand brackets are vprovidedwitliy holes vwlfiichv whenv brought .into registrationare capableflofwreceiving `a pivot pin 4U. The latter extends parallel to the axisrot the axleand normally horizontally. By virtue Vof this form-.ofrattaohment theaxle is -pulledd-irectly bythe Zdraw `bar-and* the'latter isicapable of swinging movement relative to the axle. 'To prevent whip-orsde-sway-of -thef trailer when towed at a fast rate of speed, two Vrad-ius rods-42-42 are employed. lS'lliel forward ends of these vro'dsare secured to-v-avv common 4bracketM which may be bolted or welded to the base oi' the channel-of the draw'bar. "Theftwo-radius rods extend rearwardly divergingly away from one another and-areattached-to'the axle'at widely spacedV apart positionspreferablyadjacent' to the wheels. To accommodate l',he-divergingrelation-` shipofV theA twoY rods;V the bracket-11Ml is preferably provided with two upright sections 46-136- dis-1 posed at an angle to orner-another as show-n =in Fig: 4. Thearadius- I 'odsarev jointly swingablewith 1 thev draw-bar byhaving their 'rear ends pivotally connectedto the axle. *This'is preferably accom-plished'byi -providingvbrackets 48--48 which aresecured to theaxle by they U-shaped clamps- 28-28 previouslymentioned. These brackets are each provided with loutwardly turned section which v'extendsein alignment with the radius rod tol wlfiichfity isattached. The rear ends -ofVV each radius rod is shaped-in an-y suitable wayfor pivotal connection to its 4respective bracket, such as -by= threading one end-of a Ycylindrical member 50 on the end of the-rod'aridfproviding a slot in the member-which vopens'outf-ofl the -other endY thereof-rand is of asize'-to-receivethe forward-ly bent section O-thebracket. "The slottedv end of each mem-benin" is aperturedV as=is the section of the bracket Ar-eceived f therein and the two y-are pivotally couple-d together by-apin152. The-axes of the pins 52-1-52 liesubstantiallyvin thesame planeas the laxis oithe-pivot -pinlmy but since' they are disposed'normall to'l the rodifor-which-they serve-as the pivotal connection; they extend atan angle tov one-another and thel pivot pin.

:The load-carrying.- bodyf l0 and-f the draw bar-30 are capableof beingadjusted-to-various inclined positions nwith respect f to f one -another L in. order to.v carryAv the load at Atl'lef-rriostA convenient angle.

attachment ofthe draw bar or reach on the towing vehicle.

ReierringftolFigsn1 to 3, there is provided at the forward end of the body I0 an adjustable con- "necting-member in the form of a rigid bar or link 54. One end of this link is pivotally connected-to :the draw k:bary about-.9J transversely. extending horizontal-aa'xis. .Thisisi preferablyzaccomplisl'iedl by; .providing-a.` paircof. parallelrvertically extending platecmembersgiSB--,SG.weldediat their =lowerf endsL to *ther base/offthe -idrawxbarlas showntin-z Fig.: .2. fThese' -plates..-are-:spaced :apart sufficiently. to receivenonecen'd ofathe linkmember and these elements .rare-apertured towreceive sa headed pin 58'forpivotally-couplingthe'link member tovtheeplates.

-When raised above itsfpivotab connectiontthe link Y 54 extends closelyiadjacentmto .zthe f'ront'ferxdl of the i body l0. "The :latterhis':provided I7with means ati the.- center.4 of.I the frontecrossebar i il forfdisconnectible :attachment toethe llink. To provide.` av plurality-of: .pointsf .of :.attachmentlthelink is provided :,:withraflseries f-.of zdongitud-ina'llyvl spaced aperturestllv along..1 its length. .Thelink is capable of being received between.twoeangle` bracket members-BEAM supportedeonithe:front citoss'member, Ut asshownn-Figs;@arida throughwhich` .a ,lockingeelement .orzbo'lt i154 wis;l slidable.

As. is ,evident-the. linkrmemberi 5-'fzis` receivableV betweenthe bracket members and ibyrswneing the,

draw. .ban relatie-cto ,theloody ioribyiinclifning the; body with; respectl to; the-draw'fbari if, thevlattereis statiomiry` it. isv'lpossibley to selectfjany one. Vof the plural-ity of apertures.,h 60- through ywhich the locking rod 6A maybeinserted. .When inserted the" link will. hold,.the. body f lin-any. .adjusted` position relative ...to the Ldraw bar. Any -suitable means. may. berfprovided., for. holdiiigwthe.locking-v boite.

in; ,operating` position. Onef end. .of ,the bolt` .may y be bentl asz shownand to ,the...o.ther end.a,ten sioned Vspring 566. maybe. detachably. connected. The .latter holds the bolt., lin s pl ace. against withdrawal. Vilnenl it isgdes're'd to. re-adiustthe 1angular relation between the y,draw bar 1. and sthe body, fthespring .is .uncoupled. and ,the bolt ..6,4`

withdrawn .as indicated'byits,,dotted,position.in l

lv'lig. 2.

`The adjustable supporting link 54 illustratedv K hereinvis of.relativelyvshortlength. Formaxlmumwbackwar'dv tilting Yofthe .body allongerlink may, beemployed. (Asshown Eig. 1,:.an alternative link 68v Shown. in dottedlnes may.,bei-used` which, is ,approxmatelytwice the length of. link 54; and extends to. la height .substantiallyequalto the' height of the upper. 4.end of the',v body .frwhen thelatter. isdisposed in; level' position. v-I..i,l;et he link `54, the longer link'is. pivoted at itsy lower end to the `drawibar land.isapert,ure d Tatepacedintervals throughout; its" length to A receive a locking bolt-similarto'bolird;

"In-place ofthe'springmeans A66 for holding the lock bolt in adjusted position, the type of retaining means illustrated in Figs. 6 and 'l may be used. On one of the angle brackets 62 a clip formed of two springable members I0- 10 may be used. This clip is disposed offset to the bolt receiving aperture in the bracket upon which it is mounted and in position to receive the bent handle end of the bolt B4 when the latter is turned down. In this position the bolt is held against sliding movement in the apertures of the brackets and fhe link member but when swung out of the clip to a position as that shown in dotted lines in Fig. 7 it may be easily slid into and out of the apertures of the brackets and link members.

By pivotally connecting the rigid link members 5d or 68 to the draw bar rather than having them fixed thereto it is possible to use inexpensive materials for forming the adjustable support. If xed to the draw bar any member corresponding to the links 5c and 68 would have to be curved throughout its extent having at its center of curvature either the axle or the axis of the draw bar pivot pin di). The series of bolt receiving holes in such a member would likewise extend in a curve. However, the pivotal mounting enables the use of a single straight link or bar of inexpensive construction and by swinging it about its horizontal pivotal axis on the draw bar member it is possible to bring any one of the apertures 60 into registration with the aligned apertures in the brackets 62-62 carried on the body member lll.

In many instances the draft xture on the end of the towing vehicle to which the coupling member 32 is attached is at a considerable height above the ground. In order that the draw bar 30 may be attached thereto and yet permit adjustment of the body to a horizontal level, the draw bar is shaped in a novel manner to depress the forward end section thereof below the rear section. This is preferably accomplished by the expedient of providing a jogged portion intermediate the ends of the draw bar and aft of the forward end of the body I0. Such a jogged or bent portion is indicated at 72. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention this disposes the front section of the draw bar at a lower level than the rear section thereof but parallel thereto. The front section to which the supporting adjustable links 5e or e8 are attached is depressed further below the front end of the body le than if the draw bar were perfectly straight and greater clearance is provided between the draw bar and the front end of the body. As a result the draw bar may be raised to an inclined position such as indicated in dotted outline in Fig. 1 without disturbing the horizontal position of the load-carrying body. The draft fixture on the end of the towing vehicle may be as high as 36 inches from the ground and yet the trailer may be towed thereby with the body on the level. The depressed character of the front section of the draw bar also enables the body Il) to be inclined downwardly at the front end if it is desired to handle a load at that angle.

The pivotal connection of the draw bar and associated radius rods directly on the axle enables the angular adjustment of the load-carrying body relative to the draw bar to be accomplished without nnnaturally distorting the springs 20. If a rigid connection was used and the forward end of the draw bar attached to a high point on a towing vehicle, the leveling adjustment of the load-carrying body I0 would compress the forward end sections of the springs 20 and widen or expand the rear sections of the springs and as a result provide an unsatisfactory spring sup.

to the horizontal.

Although the brackets 36-36 and 48-48 may be directly attached to the axle, it is preferred to fixedly secure these elements upon a metal' strap 'M running the greater portion of the length of the axle. By welding these brackets to the metal strap they are held at xed points along the length of the axle and moreover form a subassembly including the draw bar 30, radius rods- 42-42 and the metal strap 14 which may be separately manufactured and quickly attached to the axle as a unit. The central portion of the tie rod 24 is preferably received in an openingdrilled in a metal block 76. The latter is preferably welded as shown to a metal strap I8 of relatively short length which extends under the U-bolts 38-38. The two metal straps 14 and 'I8 are secured to the opposite sides of the axle by the U-bolts 2li- 28. Thus the sub-assembly previously mentioned and the tie rod assembly including the block 'I6 and strap 18 may be separately fabricated and readily installed upon conventional axles without altering the construction of the latter. The metal straps also serve to strengthen the axle in use.

What I claim is:

1. A trailer comprising, in combination, a single axle having a ground engaging wheel journaled at each end thereof, a load carrying body having its middle portion spring supported directly on said axle, a draw bar having its rear end pivotally connected to the middle portion of the axle about a horizontal axis and extending forwardly therefrom beyond the front end of the body and provided on its forward end with means for attachment to a towing vehicle, said draw bar being provided with a jog intermediate its ends below the body so as to dispose the front section of the draw bar at a lower level than the rear section thereof, a rigid link having one end pivotally connected to said depressed forward section of the draw bar about a horizontal axis and having such a length that when swung to a raised position it will extend above the higher rear section of the draw bar and closely adjacent to the front end of the body, said link having a series of apertures spaced longitudinally therealong and extending from a point below the level of the rear section of the draw bar to the upper end of the link, retractable bolt means carried on the front end of the body adapted to enter -any one of said apertures and adjustably lock the body to the link to thereby support the body at various inclinations relative to the draw bar, a pair of radius rods having their forward ends rigidly secured to the depressed section of the draw bar and extending divergingly rearwardly and upwardly to points adjacent to the ends of the axle and means pivotally connecting the rear ends of the radius rods to the axle adjacent to the ends thereof about horizontal axes and in a plane common to the axis of the pivotal connection between the draw bar and the axle whereby the draw bar and the radius rods may be swung together in a vertical path relative to the axle.

2. A trailer comprising, in combination, a sin- '7 gleziaxlez'rhamng aggmundengagingwhel: .jnur t nailed at thereof,k afioadarryih-bdy famerhavng1its midd1epontion spring supportedl directly gon.. saidlaxleandrawmm having. itsl rear end` of, thebodyezfframe at a position intermediate; the: fespectivefplanes; of the'` aamsee tinus-fof. fthe draw bar.

t-KI-IA'RVEYLJ 

